E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSPolice in Grapevine, Texas, conduct a news briefing concerning an inmate who escaped custody after allegedly stabbing a Miami-Dade police officer.
Texas authorities fanned out Wednesday in a manhunt for a prisoner who police say wriggled out of custody in a Walmart parking lot by snapping his eyeglasses and using the jagged edge to stab an officer guarding him.
The state quickly placed the prisoner, Alberto Morales, on its list of 10 most-wanted fugitives and offered a $10,000 reward. The state said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
“He’s made it pretty clear that he’s not going back to prison,” said Sgt. Robert Eberling, a police spokesman in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, quoting authorities’ interviews with Morales’ former cellmates.
Morales, 41, was being flown from Miami to Nevada on Monday to serve a prison sentence for aggravated sexual assault. Two Miami detectives were flying with him, with a connection in Houston.
On the first leg of the trip, Morales acted erratically and banged his head against the seat in front of him, Miami police told NBCMiami.com. The three were not allowed to board their connecting flight to Las Vegas.
The detectives decided to rent a car and drive the rest of the way, and were picking up a third officer in Dallas to help. The first two detectives and Morales stopped at a Walmart so one of the detectives could use the bathroom.
That is when Morales took off his glasses and broke the frame to make a blade, police said. The detective left guarding him, Jaime Pardinas, was stabbed once in the chest and three times in the back. Morales ran away. The detective was treated at a hospital.
Police in Grapevine were also looking for an SUV that Morales may have stolen from a motel overnight Monday. There was a gun in the SUV, a white 2008 Ford Explorer with a Texas license plate, police said.
Before Morales broke free, his hands were shackled to a band around his waist.
“He was handcuffed. We don’t know how he got the handcuffs free,” Miami-Dade County Police Director J.D. Patterson told NBCMiami.com.
Eberling said Grapevine police do not know whether Morales is still shackled.
Grapevine police said Morales would face four additional criminal charges because of the escape attempt, including attempted capital murder.
Police across north Texas were looking for Morales, with Miami police and U.S. marshals helping.
“We don’t think he could have gotten too far,” Grapevine police spokesman Lt. Barry Bowling told NBCDFW.com. “We’re concerned about where he might be since he’s at large, and we do think he’s still very dangerous.”
This story was originally published on Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:55 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
Of course he is considered dangerous! He is an already dangerous criminal in the first place, but now he's on the loose and stabbed a cop to do it. Dangerous? Yeah, no kidding. I hope the dirt bag gets stabbed until he dies a slow painful death, but it won't happen. At least he might get the death penalty. It is Texas after all...
Just stop him with a bullet and be done with the scumbag.
He has a gun that was in the stolen car. Ban handguns.
Trying to find a guy named Morales in the Dallas area.....good luck with that
what are you going to give him the death penalty for? being a dumbass? escape usually carries 1-15. he'll prob get the max for injuring the officer, but again, what the heck was the cop doing opening the door to the car while his partner was no where around? from an inmate who has escaped custody once before?
Ban eyeglasses and high capacity contact lenses. Monocles are the answer! No wait, they have a lanyard. Curses, foiled again.
Ban 54-year-old cops.
Denver Bill,
I think you are on to something there with that comment. There is a reason those 2 cops were selected to drive him across the country instead of sending him via "ConAir". They are probably useless in the precinct so the commander chose them
It's time to start flushing pieces of crap like this down the toilet. There is no room in todays society for this type of scum. I'm sick of my money being wasted to feed , house and try to rehabilitate this junk only to find out he's back in the public committing more crimes. Crap breeds crap. It's time to break that cycle. Every other animal species on this planet has figured this out. That's why they kill off any "defective" born into their herd. It's also time to start holding the scum lawyers accountable for the actions of these dirt bags after they argue and plea bargain their crimes down to a slap on the hand. let them put their money where their mouth is. Let them start paying as well and you'll see less of this drek on the streets.
Ban cars. Go Amish! Once again the police can't keep us safe all the time. A violent criminal has a weapon or two. This is exactly why a firearm is needed. Ban handguns? Go suck on a lemon or something. If you don't see the need to own one don't buy one Richard.
It's pretty irresponsible to leave a firearm in a vehicle. Now a dangerous criminal got a hold of one very easily.
As an owner of more than a few firearms, I believe that it is the irresponsible owners that make the rest of us look bad.
I do support more stringent background checks, and the registering of ALL firearms, as well as background checks on ALL those purchasing firearms(and mental evaluations on those who apply for concealed carry).
I hope they catch this guy and keep him locked up(or execute him)
All of you NRA sheep taking all of us to slaughter with you want to dismiss the fact that a "good guy" with a gun let the bad guy get away.
And while I'm sure the better-trained Rambos you fantasize you are would have got him yourselves, the other "good guy" who left his firearm in a vehicle for the criminal to now use is going to make it harder for you to do that now.
Cool, now you get to break out the semi-automatics and shoot us up some real criminals, yeehaw!
I'd like to see your opinion after you or somebody you love is the victom of a home invasion. Oh yah that's right you don't believe in guns. They can't take a statement from a corpse.
Damn, if only "assualt rifles" were outlawed then this would not have happened... What is wrong with leg irons in transport and belly chains, on someone like this ?
Oh no... now they will ban glasses on planes in US!
Making a statement that there was a gun in the car he stole justifies OPEN-SEASON.
I say bring back the Hog-Tie!!! Let's see him get out of that one...
And yeah, he's dead meat.
"He was handcuffed. We don’t know how he got the handcuffs free" They must of shown U.s Marshals on the flight and he seen how Wesley Snipes used a pair of sunglasses to pick the handcuffs.
Now this man is a danger to the public but he is only worth $10,000. I continue to be amazed at the stories we continue to accept. Used eye glasses to escape and don't know how he got out of his cuffs, and lets not forget they stopped at Wall Mart A highly populated store to use the bathroom. PLEASE!
The media is SOUR.
JBK007 - No one has ever guaranteed that the good guy with a gun would win every battle against a bad guy. It just gives the good guy a better chance if he is armed.
You on the otherhand are overlooking the fact the we can't necessarliy depend on the police for our own personal safety. When they allow a handcuffed criminal in custody to escape with nothing more than a pair of glasses.
god of fate.... death penalty is reseved for killers...he didnt kill anyone... and will get 30 yrs tops, be out in 15 maybe less if he's a good little democrat.
We need to stop this senseless violence. Ban all eyeglasses
love it!
I can see your point beoffnow!
We need to ban eyeglasses!
We need lens control!
Optometrists must be held liable for every life taken by these vile weapons!
Lens grinders must be jailed! They should have known!
Stop the slaughter - before eyeglasses kill a room full of schoolchildren!
Ban Walmart.
Well, clearly the prisoner can't claim he was framed.But surely the Detective can claim HE was, and has the injuries to prove it!
Okay, kidding aside, too bad they didn't use a gas station, with the one Detective just standing outside of the car and near the restroom door. Then if the prisoner had tried anything, the Detective could have been in a better position to take steps to stop him from trying to escape. Because it sounds like where ever he was positioned, wasn't good enough to stop the prisoner in the end. I'm guessing this case is going to redefine protocol for future transportation of prisoners in a lot of jurisdictions across the country. Just like other mess-ups have led to changes in other ways law enforcement handles situations.Hope no one else gets hurt.
Good one! GMWDS.
gm Windy
He probably won't be too hard to catch, since he is no longer focused.
better chance of getting the right kind of donut at Wal-Mart than a gas station....duh
What is worse is he is driving without his eyeglasses. Another charge against him. We know he has no contacts in the area.
Good one, tak.
Thumbs up, takenaka. Very punny.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping the sun rises this morning.
You've got to be kidding. Framed is right! Definitely sounds like a "learning experice" for the officer since he survived. Time to retire?
You;ve got to be kidding... Framed is right. I would definitely be considering a carreer change if a restrained criminal was able to stab me with his eyeglasses. Glad he wasn't killed.
I would like to know the extent of that officers injuries. Really, your going to tell me that the cop was incapacitated. Bull@!$%#. Plus the convict is in restraints. Officers ought to be fired. Why didn't he use his service revolver to stop the fleeing felon?? Definitely more to this story !!!
The shock produced by traumatic injuries can be as (or more) incapacitating than the injuries themselves. (Trust me on this one.) I daresay, if I shanked you four times, all you would be interested in is getting away.
what the hell was the cop doing opening the door to the car and interacting with him while the other officer was in the store using the bathroom? far as I'm concerned the cop screwed up, and if this guy kills someone its on the cop, and I hope the officer faces DISCIPLINARY ACTION, this guy has already escaped custody once.
Picture this, rented car, no cage, officer stabbed in the back 3 times while sitting in the front seat, and then a final blow to the chest. The officer didn't have to open the door for him. Use your head.
Frank N Stein is saying monstrous things.
Wow. Two humorous posts in one day. I'm impressed. You'd better have a lab check that latest batch of coffee.
Way to go Takenaka! Isn't humor great? Pretty soon, you will be part of the group too. Keep up the good work.
With the cost and risk of transporting these prisoners, is it really necessary with the technology of video we have today to contininue this? The burden and cost it puts on the states has to be overwhelming. If it's something as simple as appearing in front of a judge, why can't it be done by video?
If you had bothered reading the article, you would know he was being transported to serve a sentence and not for appearing before a judge.
10 f*#king years for all that he did? That's BS, he should be doing a minimum of 25 years hard time!
breaking eye glasses into shards to stab with? Did prisoner save the other len for reading?
With that kind of brain to do business, the success level to be a billionaire would just be a matter of luck. To obad now, it is harder as ex-con... to be an ex-con and humble is not as wealthy as before and humble, but then that is not always true. What about a ... criminal empire? Well, there's the cartel in mexico and a genius figure that out already. Ahem, sticking to b for business, it is a matter of choice and how one choose to believe. Business is not the same as Religion even though both requires you believe in it for it to work for you. That's the same as an invention. did you know that? If you invented a spaceship but no ones believe in the spaceship, no one will buy it. the End. oui oui.
I believe if the officer would have been wearing his bullet proof vest this would not even be a story right now. Unless he stabbed him in the eye or neck but, the story said in the chest and back. I thought cops wore them all the time?
Bullet proof?? OK... they're bullet RESISTANT... not "proof"
And unless there is an additional armor plate like worn in combat zones, they are NOT knife resistant. A knife goes right through, with a little more resistance, but it does go right through.
Oh Bullet Resistant...Sorry for the mistake. I am just going by what they call them. Your comment might hold true except he used a glasses frame not a knife....LOL If they were using threat level three vests it would have stopped a knife.
Unless there was a plate in the vest, Level 4, which I'm sure most don't use unless they're ESU or SWAT types (the plates add too much weight for routine patrols) the vests are still just kevlar or similar fibers. They do stop bullets, but don't knives, pens, or most other stabbing devices..... of course, if you've allowed an enemy opponent to get that close you have other problems to deal with.
My Lev3 vest has pockets to accept plates if necessary. Fortunately, seldom need them.
news flash convict makes specticle of police
Lib media flash is right. Pop a cap on this idiot, then some lib lawyer will come after you.
I have said for years that eyeglasses need to be banned! Now maybe someone will listen!
Slinkys and libs are a lot alike, not good for anything but they'll put a smile on your face when you push them down the stairs.
They should have had ONSTAR. They could have called for help.
If this guy had been handcuffed behind how would he get to his glasses? Some thing does not add up in this story.
I don't know maybe I just look at things the wrong way.
He was belly chained with hands cuffed in front of him.
Gary, You gotta hand it to this convict,he gained control of the situation the moment the airlines refused him on the plane for acting like a nut case! Those cop guards have to re-evaluate themselves. Of course they were probably limited on recourse of action from the bleeding ACLU. The Policemen should have told him,"If you don't settle down were gonna put you in a Straight-Jacket and tie you down so you can't hurt yourself all the way to jail". If I was him,in the town I grew up in,the minute I opened my mouth,the Police would have been banging my head off the front seat for me! I hope to God they catch this guy soon, he is bad news!
He assaulted a fellow officer. He won't be taken alive. The taxpayers will save a lot of money. Everyone wins.
NO they are going to spend a lot of money searching for him. I doubt will be a big deal like in Big Bear, but this will definitely cost the tax payers.
Why aren't they providing more details?! I would really would like to know more about this... Maybe he knew someone in Texas and perhaps him acting up on the plan was an act & perhaps he had someone follow him from Houston to Gvine?? There is no way a man on foot should be able to escape like he did & be missing for 2 days straight. My opinion, he is locked up in someone's house, miles away from the area, perhaps jumped on the train in Grapevine and is in Ft. Worth at this point. Geez... I live in the area and wish that could provide more clues and evidence.
Fans of the the science fiction series "Farscape" will find this fellow easy to recognize, because he looks like Bialar Crais (played by Lani Tapu), which might be a helpful bit of information for bounty hunters, since there is a reward for his capture, really . . .
http://www.farscapeworld.com/characters/characters.php?id=crais
Really! :-o
. . Wonder how long it will take to find his body ??? Judge Roy Bean, the only law west of the Paco's - - hang them high and watch 'em die.... TEXAS the perfect place
only hope he is killed resisting arrest don't f*** with mad dogs exterminate them
Hilarious. He's already in Mexico.